All I Ask of You
by krzed
Summary: Chat Noir loves musicals and learns Marinette can sing. What follows is the two baring their hearts through music.


Another Secret Santa fic I did for miraculouspaon and never got around to uploading here! Also, this fic contains lyrics from a number of musicals. A list of what songs I used is at the bottom. Enjoy!

* * *

Chat Noir loves musicals.

It really shouldn't surprise me. _Cats_ exists, of course he loves musicals. After he found out I'm into musicals, it's all he talks about when we're on patrol. But I can't even remember how we got on the subject. I think I was humming a few bars of '76 Trombones' from _The Music Man_ one day and he recognized it instantly. He started talking about various musicals he'd seen, either live or recorded, musicals he _wanted_ to see ( _Hamilton_ and _The Lion King_ topped the list), and his favorite songs from each. Which leads me to my second discovery.

Chat Noir has a _beautiful_ voice.

Not that I'd ever say that to his face. I thought it would be like old cartoons: the cat climbs up on top of a fence, gets out a music stand for comedic effect, then proceeds to serenade the night with a series of yowls and screechy meows until someone throws a boot at him. Why always a boot? But Chat, his voice is a low, smooth tenor that sounds like warm, liquid heaven. That sounds really sappy, but anyone who hasn't heard him sing just wouldn't know.

Now, if only his singing had better timing than his puns.

Seriously, his timing is terrible! Somehow, he figure out how to record video on his staff and started recording one of our fights singing _Rent!_

 _How do you stay on your feet when on every street  
It's trick or treat and tonight it's trick?  
Welcome back to town, I should lie down  
Everything's brown and uh-oh, I feel sick_

Then, we're on patrol and he starts singing 'Luck Be a Lady' from _Guys and Dolls_. Granted, he's no Marlon Brando, but still... It didn't take much to realize he was singing about me. As flattering as it was, trying to focus on his voice and swing through the streets at night was an exercise in focus on my part. I skidded to a stop on a rooftop and turned on him, coming across a little more harsh than I may have intended. I only wanted him to stop singing while we were in the middle of Akuma fights, but I think he took it to mean stop entirely.

Add this to the ever growing list of things I could never admit to my partner: I...started missing his voice. It wasn't just for the sake of his voice, but his singing helped ease tension during fights and break up the monotony of patrols. There were times I'd contemplate bringing my phone along for patrols so I could listen to music, but if I ever dropped it, my identity would be compromised. So, Chat's voice was the next best thing. I finally sat him down one night and told him I didn't want him to stop completely, but that he could only sing when we were sitting still on a rooftop, and if we were in the middle of a fight, he couldn't sing when I was trying to concentrate.

His face lit up when I told him he could sing again. He kept to his word (cat's honor, he'd said), and chose better moments to sing. Late night, after each patrol, he insisted on performing for me before we went our separate ways. His repertoire was quite impressive, too, though I had to tell him to cut 'Rum Tum Tugger' out of his set after the fifth time. He knew _The Music Man, Guys and Dolls, Rent, The Fantasticks, Grease, Wicked..._

Speaking of _Wicked_...

After helping him with Evillustrator, he made it a point to drop by my balcony every so often to 'check up on me'. I never understood why he visited me in particular, and any inquiries as Ladybug were answered with a dismissive, noncommittal response. While it was sweet, it was a little annoying at first, at least until I learned a bit more about what his home life was like. A neglectful father, strict upbringing, barely allowed to socialize outside of his stifling schedule. Then, I made it a point to spend time talking with him. I wanted to be the friend he didn't have. Yes, I was already his friend as Ladybug, but Marinette could be his friend, too. And in his mind, that gave him two friends.

Most nights, I would listen to him rant about his day, and others he would listen to me. This evening was my turn to rant, and so I found myself ranting about Chloé. Again. Surprising literally no one, she'd caused another Akuma that morning, and we (That is, Ladybug and Chat) had to bail her out. _Again._ She claimed she was only giving makeover advice to a younger student, but there had to be more to it that that, because I spent an afternoon that was supposed to be dedicated to studying for my Chem final dodging globs of foundation and a mascara wand wielded as a sword. Granted, I couldn't tell Chat that, so I went off on how she stole my chemistry notes. But when Chat brought up the Akuma fight, and how Chloé's 'well-meaning makeover' went a little too far, I couldn't stop myself from singing in a mocking tone:

 _Whenever I see someone less fortunate than I,_

 _And let's face it, who isn't less fortunate than I?_

 _My tender heart tends to start to bleed._

 _And when someone needs a makeover,  
I simply have to take over!  
I know, I know exactly what they need! _

I almost expected Chat to double over in laughter, but to my surprise, he gazed at me, awestruck.

"Princess," he purred. "I...I didn't know you could sing."

I felt my face heat up and turned away from him before he could witness my blush. "Uh, my voice is n-nothing special."

"I beg to dif- _fur,_ " he grinned, leaning in with his claws behind his back. "You have the voice of an angel."

I snorted and pushed him away by the nose. "Yeah, an angel that can only sing into a hairbrush when no one's looking."

Something in his face softened and I could hear the sincerity in his next words. "If I brought you a hairbrush and turned my back on you, would you sing for me again?"

Ooh, this cat...

I told him I couldn't just sing at the drop of a hat like that, but he still seemed content with knowing his princess could sing. So instead, we talked about Wicked, and he regaled me with a wonderful rendition of 'Dancing Through Life'.

And that's how I somehow adopted a singing cat obsessed with musicals.

I don't know why, but he seemed more comfortable talking about musicals with Marinette than with Ladybug. Not that it bothered me. He probably saw his relationship with Ladybug as more professional, and Marinette as more casual, more relaxed. He felt content to sing to Ladybug but insisted on introducing Marinette to musicals I'd never heard of before: _Jeckyl and Hyde_ starring David Hasselhoff, of all people; a version of _A Christmas Carol_ with Kelsey Grammer; and _The Wiz,_ a version of The Wizard of Oz starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

We'd talk, and we'd sing, but after a few weeks, I started noticing an emerging pattern in the songs he chose. First, most of them were duets, but I chalked that up to wanting me to sing with him. But second, a good number of them were love songs. I swear, was he trying to tell me something? One night he started singing 'Greased Lightning', which I sang with him, but then he segued into 'You're the One That I Want', as though he'd only chosen 'Greased Lightning' as an excuse to move into a love song.

 _I got chills, they're multiplying  
And I'm losing control  
'Cause the power, you're supplying  
It's electrifying!_

Okay, I _love_ _Grease_ , and watched it at least once a year with Papa, so when he sang Danny Zuko's part, I couldn't stop myself from continuing into Sandy's lines.

 _You better shape up, 'cause I need a man  
And my heart is set on..._

I stopped. Chat turned to me, expecting me to continue, but he must have seen the look on my face. Confusion. Concern. Worry. He settled his hand on my shoulder and asked if I was alright. I'm pretty sure dropping back down into my room and slamming the door in his face was the wrong response.

I laid down on my bed with my face buried in my pillows. What was wrong with me? Was I developing feelings for my partner? Was _he_ developing feelings for _me?_

 _What is this feeling so sudden and new?_

I pulled the blankets tighter around me. No, no, there was no way I loved Chat. And there was no way he loved me. Well, he loved Ladybug me, not Marinette me. Yeah, he was my best friend after Alya, we've known each other for almost a year, and I trusted him completely. We've always been friends, always been there for each other.

 _I'll be there and I'll cover you_

My nails hooked into my scalp and my teeth ground together. No! I love Adrien! I love Adrien! I love...some guy I know next to nothing about. A guy I can't even talk to without stuttering like a fool. But Chat...there's no major expectations. He doesn't put Marinette on a pedestal like Ladybug, and Chat is so much easier to talk to than Adrien. He's open, honest, loyal. I just...I know I told Tikki if Adrien didn't exist I'd give Chat a chance. But I just never imagined...

 _My wildest dreamings  
Could not foresee  
Lying beside you  
With you wanting me_

...that I'd fall in love with Chat Noir.

He didn't show up on my balcony the next night. Or the night after. The night after that, when it was time to meet for our joint patrol, he wasn't himself. No puns, no smirks, no playful banter. He was just...there. He was almost ten minutes late getting to the Eiffel Tower after finishing his rounds, and he just sat on the edge of the tower's highest point with his legs dangling over the edge. I wanted to reach out to him, to console but what was I supposed to say? "Hey, Chat, sorry my civilian self did something to hurt you. Please sing for me again, kitty."

But he _was_ singing. I just barely heard it over the wind, but the breeze carried his soft voice over to me. It was from a musical he'd introduced me –Marinette– to about two weeks ago. A rather bizarre production called _REPO! The Genetic Opera_. Dystopia, violence, gore, Paris Hilton. It was strange, but good. And that was how I recognized the song he was quietly singing to himself. Well, even if I didn't know the song, the lyrics were pretty self explanatory.

 _Sometimes I wanted to cry  
When the people on TV were not quite the way we were  
Somehow I guess I just knew..._

But I didn't know I'd love you so much...  
I didn't know I'd love you so much...  
I didn't know I'd love you so much,  
But I do...

He was singing about Marinette. He was singing about _me._ I cooked up some half-baked excuse about having a pile of homework and sped towards home. How was I supposed to process this? Chat loved me. Well, he loved both of me...and that sounded a little weird. Maybe...he loved all of me. Or had he given up on Ladybug? Was he just confused? Did he feel like he was betraying me by falling in love with...me...

I hate secret identities.

Tikki tried to assure me I was stressing over nothing. That it was good news that Chat loved Ladybug and Marinette. But what about Adrien? He was my first love, and part of my heart still belonged to him, but I guess you never stop loving your first. Did this mean I was finally giving in to my feelings for Chat? Did that mean–

A familiar thump resounded from over my bed. Tikki zipped under my desk and my eyes turned upwards. My feet felt like lead weights as I climbed the ladder to my bed and pushed the trap door outward. He stood, leaning against the railing, his eyes refusing to meet mine even as I softly called his name. I could see it in his face: anxiety, turmoil, fear that overpowered his mask and glowed through his eyes.

He _was_ in love with me, but he just didn't know how to express it, or perhaps wouldn't allow himself to. Maybe his heart still belonged to Ladybug on some level, as mine did to Adrien. My heart shared his pain. He was my partner, my best friend, and...now, perhaps the man I loved. I needed to reach out to him, needed to make my feelings known, but words failed me.

Words maybe, but not music. So I sang:

 _No more talk of darkness  
Forget these wide-eyed fears _

His eyes wrenched themselves from the deck and locked onto mine, wide with shock. _  
_

 _I'm here, nothing can harm you  
My words will warm and calm you_

He dropped his eyes away and crossed his arms over his chest, pulled in tighter on himself. I had to try harder. I closed the distance between us and rested a hand against his cheek. He flinched away from it at first, but he didn't jerk away. He didn't run.

 _Let me be your freedom  
Let daylight dry your tears  
I'm here, with you, beside you  
To guard you and to guide you_

Silence. He squeezed his eyes shut and my hand fell away from his face. Maybe I'd gone too far. Maybe I'd...

His lips parted, and with a shaky voice:

 _Say you'll love me every waking moment  
Turn my head with talk of summer time  
Say you need me with you now and always  
Promise me that all you say is true_

He turned his eyes up to mine, and a crystalline streak of tears glinted off his mask.

 _That's all I ask of you_

I couldn't stop. My heart spilled from my lips, every word, every note a long-denied confession.

 _Let me be your shelter  
Let me be your light  
You're safe, no one will find you  
Your fears are far behind you_

He took my hands into his, careful not to catch his claws on my tender skin.

 _All I want is freedom  
A world with no more night  
And you, always beside me  
To hold me and to hide me_

My lips trembled, my eyes stung with hot tears. Adrien was a world away. All that mattered was my partner, _mon_ _minou_.

 _Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime  
Let me lead you from your solitude  
Say you need me with you here, beside you  
Anywhere you go, let me go too  
Chaton, that's all I ask of you_

He smiled when I inserted his nickname into the song.

 _Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime  
Say the word and I will follow you_

We'd sung together before, but the harmony we created in the following parts ignited my very soul.

 _Share each day with me, each night, each morning_

He brushed his hand against my cheek.

 _Say you love me_

I grinned up at him.

 _You know I do_

Our faces inched closer together. Our eyes drifted closed. And we both sang:

 _Love me, that's all I ask of you._

Our lips met, our tears mingled, and our souls shined in the night. I loved him. I loved my kitten. And he loved me. His hands slid around to my back and pulled me closer to him. My finger splayed against his leather-clad chest. He pulled away from me, sooner than I would have liked, at his glittering feline eyes met mine.

"I love you, Marinette."

"...I love you too, Chat Noir."

He pressed his lips against mine once again, and that was the moment Adrien left my heart. All that mattered was my partner. My kitten. Us. I actually contemplated telling him right there. Telling him I was Ladybug. Assuring him that he wasn't choosing or settling. He could have both of us. Had both of us. But I decided that was for another night. Right now was Marinette's time to enjoy Chat's lips.

Eventually I would have to explain to Alya why I stopped pining after Adrien. Eventually, his posters would leave my walls. Eventually, we could actually become friends. Yes, friends. No more celebrity worship. No more stuttering. No more silly crush. After all, it's not like Adrien felt that way about me, right?

So imagine my surprise when I came into class the next day and Adrien could barely look at me. When he'd try to speak to me, he'd trip over his words, just like I did with him. He could only blush, smile, and from where I sat behind him...

I swore I heard him humming 'All I Ask of You'.

* * *

'Rent' from _Rent_

'Popular' from _Wicked_

'You're the One That I Want' from _Grease_

'Loathing' from _Wicked_

'I'll Cover You' from _Rent_

'As Long As You're Mine' from _Wicked_

'I Didn't Know I'd Love You So Much' from _REPO!_

'All I Ask Of You' from _Phantom_


End file.
